1/24/12
It is amazing how busy you can get in the middle of a sports season.
As we get ready for the meat of the high school basketball season
Toledo Sports Network is there with some great games coming up
and some old friends coming back on board. Dave Cheatham &
his gang will be bringing you sports talk coming up here on TSN,
Along with Rick Waldron and Jeff Norwalk bringing you there
sports talk show.  If you would like to do a show, we want to talk
to you too. We need to make TSR a 24 hour local sports affiliate.
This week Genoa vs Eastwood girls Tuesday and Lake vs Rossford
girls on Friday. Plus some great announcements on the way.
Thanks for being part of our coverage of High School Sports in
Northwest Ohio........

 

11/21/11
Looking forward to a wonderful season of HS basketball on TSN.
Our season will be kicking off with Northwood vs Lake girls at
Owens CC Friday the 25th.  Should be a good season for the
crew at TSN and hope to bring you some great games this season.

11/2/11
Been out on the road talking to people in the Eastwood area and would
love to bring you that game. We just have a sponsor amount that we
need to make sure we can bring you the game.
We will  have Genoa vs Huron Saturday night at 7pm and on WTVG
13.2 Sunday at 3;30 and Tue and Wed on Time Warner 9p and 5p
I do have to give special thank you's out to the great business in
Genoa for making this weeks game happen.    Should be a great
week of football.....

10/27/11
Big games tonight throughout the area with a ton of playoff placements
to be decided tonight. Eastwood and Genoa go head to head with the
1st NBC title at stake.  You can listen live to this game or watch on
13.2 ABC Sat 3:30 and Time Warner 9pm Tues and 5pm Weds.
We will be following the Genoa Comets throughout the playoffs.

 

10/6/11
With all the changes you are seeing on TSR, I would like to personally
apologize for our games that have not been able to air.  As everyone
who knows me, knows TSR. This has been a goal of ours for many years.
Adding WTVG 13 to our broadcast schedule has made quite a few teams
common names in the area. We are proud that we are able to work with
some of the best people in town bringing you these games. Our problem
now is a on going problem, Getting the word out.  We have some pretty big
financials to undertake each week with quite a few people on the payroll. 
We had some promises not come through for us with some big time backers
So at this time we will only be able to broadcast 1 game per week. Our
internet side was also part of this financial promise which did not come thru.
We are working day and night to fix this problem and make TSR the true
trend setter that we are in this business. WTVG 13 is giving us the green
light for upcoming games, plus playoffs and basketball.
Without them this could not happen.
I hope we can convince the right businesses in the area to come and work with
us and enjoy all of the great responses we have received so far this season. 
Stay tuned for more info and thanks for being part of TSR.....Mike Jameson

 

9/20/11
Going into week five of the 2011 HS football season has not been one to forget.
Each week we are amazed by the surprises that all of the teams in the area
have brought to the field . Of course we are proud to be working with the
great people at WTVG 13.2 and all of the great people throughout NW
Ohio.  We would like to say thank you to our sponsors who are helping make
this dream come true and hope to help other small businesses who might be
interested in being part of our HS football and basketball coverage.  Call us
for more info about our TV packages 419 693 6667 and we can get your
company as a sponsor for our games.

 

 

Times, They Are A-Changin’ (2011 College Football Preview)

By Mik Gonzales 

Okay, so everything has been turned upside down in the college football world with all the happenings down in Miami, the arrival of Brady Hoke in Ann Arbor and the removal of one James Tressel and Terrelle Pryor in Columbus. For the sake of the program, those two subtractions were actually additions (hello Luke Fickel). I have nothing but respect and admiration for the results that they accomplished. But the way things happened in the Buckeye state capitol, well… I was never a big fan of tattoos to begin with and this whole episode has helped cement my determination to never have one. But I bet they’re happy that they got knocked off the front sports pages by the whole Hurricane issue. Miami better get used to being a big Jai Alai school. That being said, it’s time once again to look at the upcoming 2011 college pigskin campaign. Here are my little quirky thoughts on what to expect on Saturdays this fall…

 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

The ACC is looking to move back into the BCS picture with some familiar names: Florida State, Maryland, NC State in the Atlantic Division with VA Tech, and Miami in the Coastal Division. Well, Miami could have won the Coastal, but two very ugly words crept into their lexicon and may have blown up the program for the foreseeable future… “Nevin Shapiro”. Instead of just being known as “new shoe U”, they can add another two word moniker that may very well happen to their football program: “Death Penalty”. Back in the Atlantic, Maryland has the youngster, Danny O’Brien at QB. This kid has the potential to put up big numbers again this season, and he’s only a sophomore. But me thinks that Jimbo Fisher has the Tallahassee faithful believing again in Florida State. I don’t know if they’ll have what it takes to knock off VA Tech for the ACC title, but it’s nice to see the Seminoles be competitive again.

 South Eastern Conference (SEC)

The season breakdown in the SEC is pretty simple… Alabama will steamroll over everyone else in the West as well as taking the conference outright. They should contend again for another national title. Georgia, Florida (with new coach Will Muschamp), and South Carolina could come out on top in a bit of an underwhelming East. It is up for grabs and will become a matter of who backs into it. Tennessee will be somewhat decent, a big improvement from where they’ve been with the coaching carousel they’ve went through over the last few years. Kentucky and Vanderbilt will be non-factors with the possible exception of UK upsetting the Vols for the 1st time in 26 years, thus indicating that a cold front is moving through Hades… Doubtful, but you never know.

 Mid-American Conference (MAC)

This one is intriguing to say the least. In the East, it’s up for grabs as Ohio, Miami, and Temple all have legitimate shots to win the division. All three teams all had winning records last season and the Red Hawks and Bobcats both went to bowl games. This year it will be even closer with an improved Owl squad. Things will be tight but Miami should come out on top. Bowling Green is expected to struggle this year but they may surprise a few people. In the West, our beloved UT Rockets look poised and ready to strike (midnight blue and) Gold as Todd Beckman’s boys have not really had to rebuild but reload. People really got to know Eric Page last year (99 receptions, 1,105 yards). This year could be huge for him both at wide out and special teams. The tough non-conference schedule (New Hampshire, Ohio State, Boise State, and Syracuse) will make it a challenge. But if Toledo can win at least three of their first four, they could conceivably run the table in the conference games. Of course Northern Illinois will have something to say about that. But there’s a reason for excitement for NW Ohio football fans this year and for once, it has to do with a team in our own backyard.

 

Big East Conference (duhhhh, the Big East)

The conference is really only three deep: West Virginia, Pitt, and the best team to play out of Jacksonville Florida (including the Jaguars) and that’s the South Florida Bulls. Syracuse seemed to have turned a corner last year with a winning season in both the conference and overall. Louisville is Louisville which means another long year for the Cardinals. Connecticut will struggle with 1st year and former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni who seems more like a temporary fill-in than a long term coach at 62 years of age. Rutgers is going to be young this year so they won’t win the title, but they should do well enough to get a bowl birth. In the end, West Virginia should edge out South Florida for the Big East Championship with Pitt coming in third. The conference should once again have huge representation for the bowl season.

 

Big Ten Conference (With 12 Teams!)

Finally! The Big 10 will be an important conference nationally! Oops! Wait. The Buckeyes… well, they’re not expected to do much with all of the penalties against them. The Wolverines? Apparently, they’re not ready to make the ascension into the top spot of domination. People are saying that Nebraska is just going to come on in here in their first year and rule the Big 10 (with 12 teams!)… BOULDERDASH!! Sorry folks, but I’m not ready to surrender the banner to Bo Pelini and company just yet. In these last few years, they have not had to play in a conference where the worst team on any given day could beat the best team and most people wouldn’t bat an eye at it… As much as I love the Big 12 (with 10 teams!), there isn’t the consistency top to bottom as there is in this conference. Brady Hoke is going to make a splash just by restoring the tradition and some much needed confidence in that U of M fan base. The defense will be better (they couldn’t get any worse) and a mature Dennard Robinson should get that offense up and going again… Michigan State and Iowa will be solid and get in the way of the Cornhuskers’ grandiose plans. In the ‘other’ division (I refuse to call them the Legends and Leaders divisions), it’s a three team race with Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin battling for the top spot. I still think the Buckeyes have a shot, but don’t be surprised if Wisconsin pulls it out. If I have to pick how this plays out, I’ll take a guess (hoping that I’m wrong) and say Michigan State over Wisconsin. Subject to change…

 

Big 12 Conference (with 10 Teams!)

Ahhhh… The conference that almost wasn’t. The teams of this conference breathed a huge sigh of relief when the green light was given for the Texas Longhorns television network. While most everyone else will get hosed in the Big 12 (with 10 teams!), this deal was crucial in keeping the boys from Austin in the loop and keeping the conference relevant. Of course as a result, Texas A&M is now going to bolt for the SEC most likely starting next year. That will benefit A&M and the SEC but it really won’t hurt the Big 12 (with soon to be NINE teams). They’re looking to fill the void with BYU to start, and then go from there. They went back to one division from two this year after the defections of the Colorado Buffaloes and the Nebraska Pelini’s (Cornhuskers). The automatic reaction is to just give the crown to Texas since they’ve been so good for so long. But last year shocked even the most ardent Longhorn fan to their core. No one saw the 5-7 overall record coming. The 2-6 conference record was jaw-dropping to say the least. Mack Brown’s track record is more than enough evidence to give him the benefit of a doubt. But I have a feeling that the Oklahoma teams are going to be in the running for the title… Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State… Sooners vs. Cowboys… Bob Stoops vs. Mike Gundy… Ointment vs. Suppository…

 

Pacific Twelve Conference (Pac 12)

This conference can best be described as “middle of the pack”. Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly is about the only coach whose seat isn’t at least toasty warm. Even with new arrivals Colorado and Utah, the Pac 12 is woefully thin as a FBS conference. Names like Dennis Erickson (Arizona State), Mike Stoops (Arizona), Rick Neuheisel (UCLA), Mike Riley (Oregon State), Steve Sarkisian (Washington), and Paul Wulff (Washington State) are just some of the names that have been underwhelming in their tenures at their respective schools. USC’s Lane Kiffin has only been there one year so he’ll get a grace period for now. Wulff should have been sacked by now with a disastrous 5-32 record. One must think that he has incriminating evidence on the Cougars’ AD Bill Moos. I don’t know of too many schools that would keep a coach with that record unless he’s got something on them that might violate numerous statutes and moral decency standards.

Best of the Rest (Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt, WAC)

Where to begin? Okay, let’s take them in order… In C-USA, it’s a two horse race. Southern Methodist University will take the West and Central Florida will be tops in the East. Most experts are taking SMU over UCF in the title game. Being a former (albeit temporary) Dallas-ite, I’m tempted to go with the Mustangs. But then again, I’m not an expert! UCF will win the C-USA. On a side note, my how the mighty have fallen. Remember back in the day, when Marshall was the bees knees and deemed themselves too good for the mere mortals of the Mid-American conference and hooked up with Conference USA? C-USA has had its own share of defections and has been watered down. Marshall has had only ONE winning season (7-6 in ’09) and has never won more than FOUR conference games in a season. I bet some amongst the Thundering Turd wish they were still in the MAC. I’m not sure they would fair much better!

Meanwhiiiiiiile, back at the Halls of Jus-… er, um, back in the Mountain West conference, it’ll be another two team battle between two of the best college teams last season... Boise State and Texas Christian. The BS Broncos have the edge in experience with senior QB Kellen Moore. TCU has sophomore phenom Casey Pachall. He has a good skill set but is still a bit green. The Horned Frogs however have an edge in defense, led by the likes of senior middle LB Tank Carder. In the end, I still like the Broncos to make it to a BCS bowl with the Frogs not far behind.

Now in the Sun Belt, most folks are predicting that the Troy Trojans will walk away with the title. I’m not one who believes that. My money (for entertainment purposes only) is on Florida International. The Golden Panthers have been on the upswing for sometime now. T.Y. Hilton is a dangerous threat and if he has another season like last year (he was the Sun Belt “Player of the Year”), he may very well have a legitimate chance to play on Sundays.

Rounding out the Rest is the Western Athletic Conference. The Nevada Wolf Pack is heavily favored to win the WAC as they proved they could play with the big boys last year in going 13-1, including a big OT win over Boise State. Their only loss was to the suddenly dangerous Hawaii Warriors. The Wolf Pack’s first four games are on the road at Oregon, at San Jose State, at Texas Tech, and at Boise State. If they can survive that, then the sky is the limit…

 

AUG 18 2011
Just a week before the big games start here on TSR and Toledo Sports Network. This is going to be our biggest year yet with additional coverage of 6 games on Internet and 2 games televised on WTVG 13.2, WMNT 58 and Time Warner Cable. I cannot personally thank all of the people that stuck by me and the whole gang here at TSR. We will have many new faces and voices this year broadcasting and behind the scenes, plus new sponsors which is helping to make this a true force in the sports broadcast world here in northwestern Ohio.  We will have stories in Toledo Free Press and WTVG 13 will be doing a story next week about us and our 1st High School to have the students personally broadcast the games on our site, Clay High School.  This is a very important and significant step for our company and look forward to working with other schools in the area that would be interested in being part of our coverage of high school sports in the area.  Don't forget we are live on Saturday mornings on 1470 am The Ticket analyzing HS, College and Pro Sports 7am till 8. And get ready for some football starting 3pm on 13.2 or Buckeye Cable 614 for Clay vs Northview and right after Genoa vs Ottawa Hills. You will always be able to watch the games right here also. Until then stay put and remember to lock us in for your total sports leaders Toledo Sports Radio and the Toledo Sports Network.   

Special thanks to Mike Bauman, the newest member of the TSR staff. Proud to have you on board.